Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
OAKLAND
Falcons Get A Win And A Tie Vs. Grizzlies
April 01, 2002 | Softball
April 1, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team posted a win and a tie against visiting Oakland University in non-conference action Monday afternoon (April 1). The Falcons won the opening game by a 3-2 score, then battled the Golden Grizzlies to a 2-2 tie in the nightcap at the BGSU Softball Field. The second game was halted after six innings due to darkness.
The Falcons are now 11-12-1 on the year, while Oakland is 8-22-1.
With BGSU's win in the opening game, fourth-year head coach Leigh Ross-Shaw became the fourth mentor in school history to reach 100 career victories. Ross-Shaw, now 100-76-1 in her career, is the fastest coach to that plateau. She hit the century mark in her 176th game as head coach. Jacquie Joseph, now the head coach at Michigan State, previously was the fastest coach to 100 wins at BG, getting her milestone victory in her 214th game.
The first game did not start well for the Falcons. BGSU, after going five consecutive games without an error, made two on the first two plays of the contest. Oakland's Ericka Burns led off the contest with a grounder back to senior pitcher Andrea Genter, but the throw to first base was high. Then, Nicole Schulte beat out a bunt for a base hit. As Burns rounded second base and headed for third, the throw toward third went down the left-field line. Both runners scored on the play. Those would be the last runs Genter would allow in the game.
The Falcons rebounded with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Kandice Machain led off with a bloop single into short rightfield, and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by senior Natalie Phillips. Junior Libby Voshell singled, moving Machain to third. After Voshell stole second base, senior Renee Rosemeier singled to score both runners.
Rosemeier took second on a groundout, then scored easily on a double to the wall in dead center by senior Holly Frantz. That would prove to be the game-winning hit.
Both pitchers kept the opponent off the scoreboard after that first frame. Genter allowed only six more hits the rest of the way, while OU pitching combined to give up only three hits after BG's five-hit first inning.
The Golden Grizzlies got a runner as far as third base in the third, but Genter threw a called third strike past Julie Anderson to end the frame. OU got a two-out double followed by a walk in the fourth, but Genter struck out Bozenna Johnson to end that inning.
BGSU threatened in the fifth, but left the bases loaded. But, Genter was in a groove by then, as she retired eight consecutive batters until giving up a single with two outs in the seventh. She induced the next hitter to ground out to end the game.
Genter improved to 2-1 on the year with the complete-game eight-hitter. She allowed two runs, both unearned, walking two and striking out six.
Anderson took the loss for the Grizzlies, allowing three runs on six hits in four innings. Nicole Marzano threw two innings of scoreless, two-hit relief.
At the plate, Rosemeier went 3-for-3, with a run and two RBI. Kara Sayger came off the bench to go 2-for-2 for the visitors, as each team had eight hits.
In the nightcap, BG broke on top with a pair of second-inning runs off OU starter Linnea Utecht. Junior Crystal Wilson led off with a single to right, and moved to second on a Frantz groundout. Then, freshman Sam Moore reached on an error, with Wilson holding at second. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and sophomore Jody Johnson singled to left-center to plate both runners, with Moore just beating the throw home.
The Falcons had three of the team's five hits in the game in that second inning.
BG senior Jessie Milosek silenced the OU bats in the early going, taking a no-hitter into the fourth. Her only baserunner during that time was a one-out walk in the first. But, Megan Piar hit a one-out double in the fourth inning to break up the no-hit bid, then scored on Utecht's single. The latter hit glanced off the glove of a diving Voshell at shortstop and trickled into centerfield.
OU tied the game in the fifth frame. Pinch-hitter Jennifer Granger had a leadoff double to right, and advanced to third on a sac bunt by Anderson. Then, Burns hit a single off Milosek's glove to score Granger. The Burns hit caromed off Milosek's glove into the hole vacated by Voshell.
The Golden Grizzlies got a one-out double off the bat of Nicole Schulte in the sixth, and she took third on a sac bunt by Sayger, but Milosek got a grounder to short to end the inning.
Marzano, in her second relief stint of the game, set down the Falcons in order in the bottom of the inning, after which the umpires stopped play due to darkness.
Milosek allowed two runs and five hits in her complete-game effort. She walked one batter and fanned three, needing just 77 pitches to get through six innings.
For the Grizzlies, Utecht allowed five hits and two runs (both unearned) in her three-and-a-third innings of work. She walked one and fanned three. Marzano was stellar in relief, facing the minimum eight batters in her two-and-two-thirds innings pitched. She did not allow a hit or a walk, and struck out four hitters.
Each team had five hits in the contest, with Machain the only player to have a multi-hit game (2-for-3).
The Falcons are scheduled to return to action with a Wednesday (April 3) game at the University of Michigan. That contest is set for a 3:00 p.m. start. Then, BG will return home for a Thursday (April 4) doubleheader vs. Cleveland State University, beginning at 3:00 p.m.
